Evidence snapshot covering wages vs. cost of living, wage-bargaining history, Public Authority/County performance signals, available training (for completeness), and primary sources.

Wages vs. Cost of Living

• IHSS provider wage (current): $17.85/hr (as of Jan 1, 2025).
• Living wage (single adult, no children): $22.92/hr (MIT).
• Gap: −$5.07/hr (IHSS ≈ 77.9% of living wage).

County History of Fair Bartering for Wages

• Union representation: SEIU Local 2015 represents Merced IHSS providers.
• 2022 contract: Agreement approved with raises staged to $17.85/hr by 2025; healthcare contribution maintained.
• 2025 climate: Union monitoring BOS for successor contract; statewide campaign to push beyond $18/hr floor.

Public Authority & County Support (Performance Signals)

• Provider onboarding: Orientation and enrollment packet required; fingerprinting and ID verification mandated.
• Payroll systems: ESP/EVV enrollment promoted; county links to CDSS resources.
• Advisory governance: IHSS Advisory Committee listed on county calendar; minutes not regularly posted.
• Public KPIs: No metrics on processing times or call answer speed; rely on state oversight benchmarks.

Available Training (for completeness)

• Local: Enrollment materials only; no ongoing provider training schedule found.
• State: CDSS EVV webinars and ESP help center.

Sources & Links

• Current wage:
  IHSS Law 2025 wage list;
  IHSS Advocate;
  official hub: CDSS wage hub.
• Living wage:
  MIT Living Wage — Merced County (data updated Feb 10, 2025).
• Union & bargaining:
  SEIU 2015 contract updates (Merced; 2022 agreement reaching $17.85/hr by 2025).
• PA operations:
  Merced County PA provider enrollment page (includes Advisory Committee reference).
• State training:
  CDSS EVV help &
  IHSS provider resources.